Bishop builds on early lead to dominate in Doncaster

Staveley-based cycling team rider Andy Bishop turned up the heat in glorious summer sunshine to take victory at the Doncaster Festival.

Hundreds lined the streets in the town to get a taste of highly competitive racing from a capacity field of more than 80 riders.

Bishop’s victory came in style as he threaded his way through the field over the first few laps in order to gain position near the front of the pack.

Sensing the opportunity to attack, he made the decisive move and broke free, and quickly established a substantial 20-second lead.

Team-mate Adam Turner maintained position at the front of the peloton, leaving Bishop to pile on the pressure and soon the lead had extended to well over half a minute.

The peloton had no answer to Bishop’s powerplay and settled into place for a bunch sprint. The Staveley rider’s winning margin was more than 40 seconds as he crossed the line, leaving team-mate Turner to attack the sprinters into the last corner and take fourth place overall in the race.

Bishop was delighted with his form: “I felt my form was good for the race, but had to work in the early laps to get to the front.

“It was tight in places, but once I put in the attack, I felt I was in with a really good chance. The atmosphere was fantastic, spectators cheering and shouting me on the whole way round, it was great to see so many out there.”

Race team manager Andy Moore said: “What an amazing event this has been - the organisers have put on a great show. It’s been a fantastic family festival for everyone to enjoy, and the weather has been truly tropical too. Thanks are due to J.E. James once more, the top level race bikes they’ve provided us with have been superb, they’ve done a fabulous job in backing the lads. To all our supporters and followers, I say a very big thank you.”

The team will be travelling to several other renowned destinations over the coming weeks, including Barnsley, Huddersfield and Sheffield.